Economy & Business

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vtec92civic

New member
During these slow times that our economy is in a downward slope people don't seem to want to spend a ton on their vehicles.



So i wanted to hear some ideas as to what people are doing to keep busy in the detail world.



I would like to do some sort of One Step service to at least give off some good results on some of the vehicles that i do . . . . but im open to everyone's suggestions on the matter.



What products would you use



What services would you include . . . . and



What would you charge



Most people just want a basic full detail but i'm not always happy in the end with the results since a lot of people here have swirled up cars.



Advice?



Thanks in advance.
 
Well it depends. If you have current clients you can offer a "recession buster"



But for new clients and don't lower your standards. If you leave with a swirled up car. Chances are your not coming back for another detail.



I'd say cut back expenses where you can. And try to ride the storm out.
 
unleashedfury said:
Well it depends. If you have current clients you can offer a "recession buster"



But for new clients and don't lower your standards. If you leave with a swirled up car. Chances are your not coming back for another detail.



I'd say cut back expenses where you can. And try to ride the storm out.
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Sorry i seem to be a bit slow tonight. LoL.



Don't lower my standards you say? Well i hope that you don't think that the swirled up cars are from me, but i think i understand what you are saying.



The type of work i enjoy doing such as corrective work just seems to be few and far between here.



What i don't like is when people call and they just want a wash and wax type service but when you show up the paint is filled with swirls, feels rough and dry and in your mind it's pretty much like why would you want to wax and preserve a surface like that rather then have it properly prepped and then protected you know?



So i guess right now i'm looking for something i can offer that will offer some decent results without me having to charge $400 for a corrective type detail.



I don't have much over head right now as i am mobile but do have other bills. I can't wait until next month as it will be my last month with the yellow pages. That was a absolute waste of $2,400 for the year.



Worst investment ever.
 
Yellow pages investment. Live and learn my friend. It happens But now you know it dosen't work and you can try advertising elsewhere.



I understand what your saying. Its hard, But try educating the customer. Explain to them about the surface and what you feel you should do. And after the good cleansing that your services are cheaper with regular maintenance.



Explain to them in terms they would understand. Its like building a house. You start with a foundation. But you want a good foundation. This is what clay bar and polish are for. It gives your color/clear a good clean to start with. Now you start building. the frame. wax/sealant. And then the final touches. Yano siding and such. The things that make it pretty :D
 
vtec92civic said:
Sorry i seem to be a bit slow tonight. LoL.



Don't lower my standards you say? Well i hope that you don't think that the swirled up cars are from me, but i think i understand what you are saying.



The type of work i enjoy doing such as corrective work just seems to be few and far between here.



What i don't like is when people call and they just want a wash and wax type service but when you show up the paint is filled with swirls, feels rough and dry and in your mind it's pretty much like why would you want to wax and preserve a surface like that rather then have it properly prepped and then protected you know?



So i guess right now i'm looking for something i can offer that will offer some decent results without me having to charge $400 for a corrective type detail.



I don't have much over head right now as i am mobile but do have other bills. I can't wait until next month as it will be my last month with the yellow pages. That was a absolute waste of $2,400 for the year.



Worst investment ever.
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i drove by a dealership the other day in my town and there was a sign on the window stating auto detailing anycar 89.99 in and out!! how the hell you supposed to compet wioth that . also i saw recently a few flyers on telephone poles from maybe young kids saying auto detailing 65.00 in and out.. maybe its the area i live in but people just look out for nice cheap deals on detailing . and could care less about true correction . and are just as happy with a quick cleanup and tires dressed with slimy dressing and windows cleaned.
 
trhland said:
i drove by a dealership the other day in my town and there was a sign on the window stating auto detailing anycar 89.99 in and out!! how the hell you supposed to compet wioth that . also i saw recently a few flyers on telephone poles from maybe young kids saying auto detailing 65.00 in and out.. maybe its the area i live in but people just look out for nice cheap deals on detailing . and could care less about true correction . and are just as happy with a quick cleanup and tires dressed with slimy dressing and windows cleaned.
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That's my point. We got some hacks locally. As im sure that most of you all have them too. I try my best to keep up with who is opening up shop etc. It's always nice to be on top of your competition you know . . . . . most of them end up going out of business.



People In this economy want cheap or free stuff. Like you mentioned above, how do you compete with that?



I guess education, professionalism and quality of work.



I need idea's as to what other forms of advertising would work. I'm working on a website right now but YELLOW PAGES is out of the question.
 
BTW does anyone know how to contact: scottwax



as he does not accept private messages . . . . wouldn't mind hearing his thoughts as he is a pretty well respected detailer here
 
Don't get hung up on paint correction. Offer great deals on just wash and waxes, interior cleans and engine bay details.
 
vtec92civic said:
During these slow times that our economy is in a downward slope people don't seem to want to spend a ton on their vehicles.



So i wanted to hear some ideas as to what people are doing to keep busy in the detail world.



I would like to do some sort of One Step service to at least give off some good results on some of the vehicles that i do . . . . but im open to everyone's suggestions on the matter.



What products would you use



What services would you include . . . . and



What would you charge



Most people just want a basic full detail but i'm not always happy in the end with the results since a lot of people here have swirled up cars.



Advice?



Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...



vtec92civic said:
That's my point. We got some hacks locally. As im sure that most of you all have them too. I try my best to keep up with who is opening up shop etc. It's always nice to be on top of your competition you know . . . . . most of them end up going out of business.



People In this economy want cheap or free stuff. Like you mentioned above, how do you compete with that?



I guess education, professionalism and quality of work.



I need idea's as to what other forms of advertising would work. I'm working on a website right now but YELLOW PAGES is out of the question.
Click to expand...



I think you answered your own question for the most part... Education, good marketing (of yourself, not your detailing business, if that makes sense) and quality work will get you far and keep clients coming.



As for one step services, this is what I offer, it's what has worked great for me and it is my main service, so take it for what it's worth.



I call it a Light Polish Detail. It's between a Wash&Wax and a Stage I Correction Detail on my list of paint maintenance/correction services. I do not use one-step products however, because I really see no need for it when a dedicated polish (M205 99% of the time for me) and a dedicated sealant/wax (KSG 99.9% of the time for me) will get me better results as far as finish goes and also protect longer than any AIO out there, for only an additional 20-30 minutes that it takes to apply/remove the LSP.



The most important part of offering the service is explaining to your clients what it is and explaining it well. You want to educate the clients that the one-step will remove light surface scratches/swirl marks and bring the paint color back to life, but it will not correct much of the deeper defects, especially since you need to balance correction with final finish (I lean toward final finish because I'd rather remove less swirlmarks and have no holograms than more swirls and leave holograms).



This has worked great for me in two ways...



One is that a certain amount of potential clients will opt for Stage I Correction simply because they want more correction from the paint as it's usually 'only' 1/4-1/3 of the LPD price (for example LPD for a 99 M3 is $300 and S1C is $400, so it's not too much more for a lot more correction).



Second way it's working great for me is a bit different, and one I actually prefer on most new clients' cars. Basically I market the LPD as a service for people who plan on keeping their cars for a longer period of time (3-4+ years) and recommend it once or twice per year. This way, say we start at paint being at 50%. Then let's say an LPD will make it 80% and S1C 90-95%+. Winter washing will take either back to 70-75%. Then another LPD after winter will make the previous car that got an LPD close to 90% because most of the old, deep swirls will improve and new ones will be very light and correct easily, and the car that got S1C will be around 90% once again. So the only downside is the client living with 80% instead of 90% for 6-8 months (not counting winter) but that's easily offset with spending less money and having more paint on the car, allowing more LPDs in the long run.



Hope that helps and makes sense haha.
 
Wow. Thanks ivan. Some wise words in there. Now i just need to sit down and really soak it in. Still feel a bit sleepy.



so would you say that i should stay away from Meguiars reconditioning cream and use something like m205?



im Just looking for good results yet cost effective. I never thought to use m205 but have read a lot of good results with folks using the megs cream.



$300 sounds pretty fair. How long does that normally take you?



thanks again.
 
vtec92civic said:
Wow. Thanks ivan. Some wise words in there. Now i just need to sit down and really soak it in. Still feel a bit sleepy.



so would you say that i should stay away from Meguiars reconditioning cream and use something like m205?



im Just looking for good results yet cost effective. I never thought to use m205 but have read a lot of good results with folks using the megs cream.



$300 sounds pretty fair. How long does that normally take you?



thanks again.
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I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do because everyone has their preferences, but for me, any AIO along with Meg's 151 is simply not worth it because you don't get nearly the same results yet you've wasted nearly the same amount of time as you would in a typical polish & wax detail.



Many will argue for the AIOs but I simply think, and know from experience, that I or anyone can get a lot of correction done with a typical one step with a dedicated polish (I mention M205 because I've been using it lately with Meg's 8006 pad more than anything because it cuts ridiculously well and finishes perfectly on everything but some softer paints, on which it'll finish great with a finishing pad only) then a sealant or wax. Don't get me wrong, M205 won't do the same work as the cream (AIO and hiding swirls better), I simply mentioned it because it's great for a 1-step polishing, not one step all-in-one.



As for the $300, I just threw that out there. I typically charge about $250-300 for that year M3 and it takes about 5-6hrs. Every car is different so you never know.
 
You want decent correction and protection quick? Meguiars D151 and Optimum Opti-Seal. #205 also works well but D151 is about the same for a gallon as #205 is for a quart.
 
Scottwax said:
You want decent correction and protection quick? Meguiars D151 and Optimum Opti-Seal. #205 also works well but D151 is about the same for a gallon as #205 is for a quart.
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i guess everyone has their own kind of system that works.



Thanks for responding scott and ivan as well.



Does Meguiars D151 fill in swirls and things of that nature or does it correct them?



I know you have used this stuff a lot on your details. Ivan stated to use M205 as it finishes nice and you can get much better results from it vs something like a AIO.



I have never even used AIO's so i really couldn't speak on it. I would like to have some decent end results but not spend all day on one vehicle like i'm doing a full on correction as people here for the most part won't pay for something like that.



M205 sounds promising but so does D151. I'm a little confused now.
 
D151 does decent correction via RO polisher, holograms with a rotary so I only use it with my G110.



I use both D151 and #205. Mostly use D151 on basic (1 polishing step details) where the paint needs cleaning and correction but the owner isn't necessarily interested in paying for full correction and it plays very well with Opti-Seal. I mostly use #205 as a follow-up step to #105 with a rotary, although I also use it in basic details.
 
Scottwax said:
D151 does decent correction via RO polisher, holograms with a rotary so I only use it with my G110.



I use both D151 and #205. Mostly use D151 on basic (1 polishing step details) where the paint needs cleaning and correction but the owner isn't necessarily interested in paying for full correction and it plays very well with Opti-Seal. I mostly use #205 as a follow-up step to #105 with a rotary, although I also use it in basic details.
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so Megs D151 you would recommend to use a RO then? That might put that out of the question. All i have on hand right now is my Makita Rotary.



I might need to pick up both products or all three that you are mentioning.



Your use for the Megs D151 is what i am looking to use it for. I would like to use it to provide the customer with a less expensive alternative to a full paint correction allowing them to see what a true detail can offer them and the quality of work that can be provided. Hopefully that would in turn open some doors for future full on corrections and what not.



I would PM you about this stuff but i know you don't accept PM's so this is the only way for now.



Then you mentioned the Optimum Opti-Seal . . . . . that can be applied by buffer or by hand? Sorry never used that either.
 
vtec92civic said:
i guess everyone has their own kind of system that works.



Thanks for responding scott and ivan as well.



Does Meguiars D151 fill in swirls and things of that nature or does it correct them?



I know you have used this stuff a lot on your details. Ivan stated to use M205 as it finishes nice and you can get much better results from it vs something like a AIO.



I have never even used AIO's so i really couldn't speak on it. I would like to have some decent end results but not spend all day on one vehicle like i'm doing a full on correction as people here for the most part won't pay for something like that.



M205 sounds promising but so does D151. I'm a little confused now.
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There's not much to be confused about actually.



Scott basically uses D151 somewhere between my Light Polish Detail (1-step polishing) with M205 and a sealant and a regular wash & wax. It won't correct as much as M205 on rotary and probably won't last as long as KSG or something similar (never tested D151 durability so don't hate me D151 lovers haha) but it does some correction and it's much better for reviving the paint than a simple wash & wax, especially if clay is used beforehand.



This is why D151 is promising and widely used, because it's a good service to offer for those who want a bit more than a simple wash & wax, while you also don't have to really work it toward swirl removal and much correction. M205 is simply amazing in that it cuts very very well even on harder paints but finishes perfect on everything but very soft clear coats, which require something like PO85RD, FPII or similar.



You'll basically have to try both on the same car (do your own or friend's or parent's car...) and figure out which works better for you, and offer both if you come to that conclusion...



I'm sure it won't be hard to get a 4-8oz. sample of each for $5 or so from a member here... hell I'll even do it if I get time to go by the post office (I work 8-5 Mon-Fri and detail 8-6/7 weekends so really have no time for stuff like that)
 
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